Health Blog

As migraine headaches affects more and more individuals, researchers across the world are dealing with theories to help explain the master causal factors. Now an approximated 30 million people in the US are paralyzed by migraines. While migraines can take place at any age, surveys expose that the sickness normally involves people between the age of 10 and 40. And approximately 75% of migraine sufferers nowadays are women.

Migraine pain is induced by inflammation in the blood vessels and nerves near the brain. Although sizeable research has been done, the exact cause of migraines is still a secret. Medics believe that the condition may result from a series of reactions in the central nervous system because of modifications in the body or environment. Some studies likewise show that people impaired with migraine troubles may have inherited sensitivity to triggers from their parents or grandparents. Research as well indicates that people with a single parent having migraines have a 50% risk of developing migraines.

There are various possibilities about the causes of migraines. The blood flow hypothesis suggests that blood vessels narrow or expand. A contraction of the blood vessels constricts blood flow, inducing vertigo or problems with vision. Alternately, when blood vessels expand they push the nerves adjacent and cause pain. Even a different theory focuses on chemical substance changes in the head where it is suggested that an interruption in the messages sent from one cell to another to narrow or expand blood vessels induce migraine. Recently, migraines have also been associated to genes where surveys have established that inheriting abnormal genes that master the functions of certain brain cells can result in migraines.

Broadly, migraines are classified into two types – Classic Migraine and Common Migraine. In classic migraine, the person gets optic symptoms (also known as ‘aura’) approximately 10 to 30 minutes before an attack. In common migraine there is no aura, but there are different symptoms similar nausea and vomiting. Migraines likewise affect women during menstrual shifts, and are regarded to be hormone-related.

There is as well a relation between migraine and so called epileptic seizure disorders. The relation is most apparent in migraine-triggered epilepsy. Migraines affect approximately 15% of the epileptic population.